Feeding Corys And Buenos Aires Tetras...

[tameem]

I have BA tetras that are not fully grown, but are getting to a point where when the tablet that I drop to my cute cories starts to dissolve and get small enough, sometimes the BA tetras will grab one and go! Id prefer my cory catfish to completely eat their food, but Im not sure if I should be concerned or not.

of course, I feed the other fish flake food, and then I drop the tablet or two. This time, I tried to put the tablet with my hand inside the fake cave that they like to hide in, but soon I found one of the BA tetras swim around with one of the tablet in his mouth. Inititally thoguh the cories do pick at the tablet.

Anything else I can do, or are they getting their fair share?

 

[rhostog]

My zebra danios and platys also like the tablets I feed the corys, and seem to get more than their fair share. I find it helps if I break the tablet into several pieces and drop it around the tank, aiming for the corners and among stones and plants where the corys are more likely to get a fair shot. The corys are happy to scrabble around to find all the little bits half buried in the substrate and between the stones. The tablets I use will break surprisingly easily and cleanly and don't start dissolving until they get to the bottom. (However, this might just make it easier for your tetras to grab them... )

Also if I drop in the pieces of tablet and add a sprinkle of flake at the same time, it distracts the others for long enough that they don't see where the tablet bits go, but sounds like you've tried this. I have found there is one type of tablet that they're not so keen on but the corys like, so it might be worth experimenting with different foods? Also I feed them cooked squished peas every now and then - all the fish like these, but there are always some bits which sink to the bottom which the corys eat after the others have forgotten about them. It doesn't help that the corys will move their food around as they eat, so even if you hide it in a cave, they'll nudge it out again as they feed...

I saw in your sig you've got melanistius corys - not seen these before but found a pic on another site - they are very cute!

 

[tameem]

I didnt think of breaking the tablet up. Sometimes I drop two tablets in hopes that the tetras will go for one and the corys can get at the other. And you are right, they do tend to move their food around and their eating habit is strange, I cant tell if they are eating or not, but Im sure they are.

I also have sinking wafers which are like round, smaller discs. I will try breaking it up in pieces and see what happens. I just want to make sure that they eat their share, even if the tetras get at it. I dont want them to go hungry, and I dont think they are. They get easily spooked when a fish comes near it.

It may be best to put two tablets because if I drop one there are too many of them at one time trying to get at it, not including the swordtails which I have determined are also bottom dwellers!

Ill take a pic of my corys and post it here..